In a major step forward to enable electric vehicle (EV) common operability between regions it has been announced that EV drivers based in Oxford will be able to use charging posts installed in Milton Keynes and vice versa.

Milton Keynes is one of the first “Plugged In Places” locations selected by the UK Government to encourage the widespread use of electric cars by the provision of several hundred charging posts over the next three years. The first charging posts have been installed in Avebury Boulevard near the Central Milton Keynes shopping centre with several dozen being installed over the next few months.

Oxford now has more than 20 charging points installed by Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD) as part of the ground-breaking MINI E electric car project currently running in the Thames Valley. The MINI E project is a pioneering year-long trial to evaluate the psychological, social and technical aspects of living with an all-electric vehicle. The project is led by BMW and includes Southern Electric, Oxford Brookes University, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. Financial support for the project has come from the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board

Chargemaster Plc is the nominated operator of the back end management system for Milton Keynes with its state of the art Chargevision software enabling EV owners to see on line where charging posts are and whether they are currently available.

Over the next few months Chargemaster will be providing the Chargevision service on i- Phones and other smart phones as well as data to SatNav systems enabling easy identification of the location of available charging points.

Chargemaster is also the operator of the management system covering the Oxford scheme which has been installed by SEPD using Chargemaster’s CombiCharge charging posts which have a fast charging capability for electric cars.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster Plc said “We are delighted to bring Oxford and Milton Keynes closer together and provide this service to electric motorists. We are working to expand this area of national operability so that electric motorists can drive around the country without technical or bureaucratic barriers. The Chargevison system is a world leader in its capability and flexibility and we are determined to help the UK lead the field in deployment of charging technology.

David Densley, head of sustainable transport, at SEPD said “This project is the first of its type in the UK and shows the kind of ‘interoperability’ that is needed for us to achieve widespread use of electric cars and reduction of carbon emissions in the decades ahead. The flexibility of the Chargevision System to provide visibility of charge point availability to all electric vehicle users in the region and a standard tag makes recharging your car simple.

Cllr Vanessa Pake from Milton Keynes expressed her enthusiasm for the pioneering initiative ‘‘’Being able to charge up vehicles in both Milton Keynes and Oxford is going to encourage a more active EV environment within our communities and signals the beginning of a national agreement for carbon reduction in transport.’’
Roger Pitman, Environmental Development Officer at Oxford City Council said ‘’Operability among the charging posts is certainly a significant achievement for both councils and all suppliers involved.

It will set the benchmark for the electric vehicle industry which is going to see rapid growth over the coming years.’’

Through an agreement between Milton Keynes, SEPD and Chargemaster all charging posts will be available to electric cars owner based in Oxford as well as Milton Keynes thereby enabling drivers to travel say from their home in Oxford to go shopping in Milton Keynes, to charge their car at one of the newly installed charging posts and return home again. Milton Keynes residents may also visit Oxford and charge their vehicles in a similar way.